Device for obtaining the continuous revolution at a variable speed of a body about a stationary center

ABSTRACT

A device for rotating a body comprising a hollow member for grasping in a horizontal position; a constraint having three continuous portions, a first portion extending from a first end of the hollow member, a second portion extending through the hollow member, and a third portion extending from a second end of the hollow member; and a body attached to the first portion of the constraint. An operator oscillates the body in a pendular motion and sets the body in continuous revolution by abruptly pulling and releasing the third portion of the constraint to shorten and lengthen the first portion of the constraint. The third portion of the constraint is pulled when the body is moving below the horizontal plane and released when the body is moving above the horizontal plane. Continuous revolution is achieved by the constant pulling and releasing of the constraint. The body is preferably a ball, small aeroplane or rocket covered with a soft material wherein the device is used as a toy.

This invention refers to a device for converting a linear movement inopposite direction into a rotary motion along an eccentric orbit, whichdevice can have a plurality of uses and, in this application, will bedescribed and illustrated through an example mainly intended as anamusing toy.

The invention consists of causing a body to rotate and continuouslymaintain its revolution about a stationary center, acting on the"constraint" that makes this generally rotary motion possible.

The applicant has empirically verified that by abruptly rythmicallymodifying the lenght of the constraint securing the body to its centerof revolution, this revolution can be increased relatively to both itsangular speed and its duration.

In this illustrative embodiment the length of the constraint is variedby using a string as a constraint and suitably modifying the length ofthe string, to the end of which the body to be rotated is secured.

Therefore, according to this embodiment intended as a toy, the device ofthe invention comprises a body, a string and a shorts length of a pipeor sleeve in the bore of which the string is fitted so as to formtherealong three continuous but distinct lengths of the string, and moreprecisely a length running within the sleeve and two lengths protrudingfrom the mouths thereof. The body to be rotated, which can be forexample in the form of a small ball, a small aeroplane, a rocket and thelike, is secured to the end of one of these lengths, which from now onis called the outer string length.

With such an arrangement, the sleeve mouth from which the outer stringlength protrudes is the center or origin of revolution of thestring-body system, as it will be more particularly described.

In use, substantially maintaining the sleeve in a generally horizontalstationary position, for example keeping it in one hand, while graspingwith the other hand the string length protruding from the sleeve mouthopposite to the mouth defined as the center of revolution of the system,which string length will be called from now on the inner string length,the body will be caused to oscillate with a pendular movement. It hasbeen found that, with the body so oscillating with a pendular movement,any "pulling" and "releasing" action exerted on this inner string lengthby the relative hand and the consequent lengthening and shortening ofthe outer string length that secures the body to its center ofrevolution will cause the body to start rotating and continuously rotateat an angular speed varying from a minimum to a maximum value accordingto the intensity of the pulling and releasing action exerted on theinner string length.

These being the premises, a more careful study will show that the motionof the body occurs along eccentric or generally elliptical orbits havinga variable dimension, wherein the sleeve mouth is the fulcrum of theouter string length, which fulcrum is one of the focuses thereof, theorbits lying in the vertical plane passing through the sleeve mouth andnormal to the axis of the latter.

As it will be evident, in other future possible uses of the invention,the length of pipe or sleeve can be horizontally secured to any support,such as a stand, a pole, a framework and the like, while the actionexerted by the free hand on the inner string length i n the toy can bereplaced by a pulling and releasing action exerted, for example, by aneccentric or a system of eccentrics.

As it will be more particularly described, in both cases the pulling andreleasing action exerted either by the eccentric or the system ofeccentrics will have to be synchronized "in phase" with the position ofthe body along the orbit, depending on the position being above or belowthe horizontal plane passing through the center or origin of revolution.

The motion occurs about the center or origin of the rotary motion, whichcenter generally consists of a hole, a vent or a mouth from which theouter string length to the end of which the body is secured isprotruding.

From the foregoing it is evident that through this invention it ispossible to obtain that the rectilinear movements in opposite directionapplied to a string having a body secured to one end thereof, and fittedin the length of a pipe cause and control a rotary motion of the samebody according to substantially eccentric or elliptical orbits.

The invention will be now described in more details with reference tothe annexed drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 schematically shows the toy in action, the body being in the formof a small ball;

FIG. 2 is a similar view wherein the vertical plane of revolution andthe path of the horizontal plane are represented;

FIG. 3 is a schematical view of FIG. 2 drawn on the plane of thedrawing, with parts omitted for the sake of clarity;

FIGS. 4-7 schematically show four steps or moments of the body motionalong its eccentric orbit, depending on the pulling or releasing actionexerted on the string.

It should be noted at this point that in all the figures the referencenumbers indicate the relative elements of the invention as follows:

10 the length, of pipe or sleeve;

11 the string length fitted in the sleeve length;

12 the string length protruding from the mouth of sleeve 10, which mouthis the canter of revolution of the system (or outer string length);

13 the string length protruding from the sleeve mouth opposite to themouth defined as the center of rotation (or inner string length);

14 the sleeve mouth from which the outer string length protrudes (orcenter of revolution);

15 the body secured to the end of the outer string length,

MDX the right hand of the toy user;

MSX the left hand;

PVT the vertical plane passing through sleeve mouth 14 and normal to theaxis of sleeve 10.

TPO the path on the plane of the drawing of the horizontal plane passingthrough mouth 14 and containing the length of pipe or sleeve.

As already mentioned, the system is supposed to be in the startingcondition, that could be the one shown in FIG. 5, wherein sleeve 10 iskept. in a horizontal position by left hand MSX of the device user (FIG.2) and body 15 is secured to outer string length 12, which is placedalong the vertical line, that is the gravity line passing through mouth14.

Body 15 will be then caused to oscillate with a pendular movement withrespect to the vertical line, as indicated by the short arrows ofopposite direction, and then inner string length 13 will be abruptlypulled as body 15 is covering the length of the pendular movementoriented in the same direction in which body 15 should be rotated.

Assuming that the body has been caused to rotate in the direction shownby the arrows in FIGS. 4-7, in order to maintain the rotation of thebody, inner string length 13 is pulled, as body 15 is covering orbitlength ORB comprised in lower quadrants III and II, and then released,as body 15 is covering the orbit length comprised in upper quadrants Iand IV (FIG. 3), assuming that the movement occurs along a circularorbit rather than along an eccentric orbit, as it is in reality.

In other words, string 13 is pulled when body. 15 is moving below thehorizontal plane and it is released when body 15 is moving thereabove.

Considering the phenomenon with reference to FIG. 3, it has been foundthat, starting from the horizontal position P1 of the string-bodysystem, such as that body 15 has the same level as center of revolution14, if string 13 is shortened, as soon as the body begins its downwardlyoscillation by gravity between positions P1 and P4, thus causing thebody to get closer to its center of revolution, it will be observedthat, as body 15 covers its orbit ORB downwardly it increases its speedthen reaching, after having covered its orbit upwardly between positionsP4 and P2, the minimum distance from center 14, namely position P2 thatis diametrically opposed to position P1.

Releasing now string 13, body 15 will move away from its center ofrevolution 14 and, owing to the kinetic energy acquired, will continueto move upwardly between positions P2 and P3 above center 14 about whichit rotates, gradually decreasing its speed. Body 15 finally covers thedownwardly directed path length between positions P3 and P1, continuingto move away from its canter of revolution, until it reaches againposition P1, from which the movement had started.

When body 15 has reached position P1 the firstly described step of thecycle can be repeated again and again so that, in successive steps, therevolution can be maintained indefinitely. It should be also noted thatthe angular speed of body 15 covering orbit ORB can be controlledthrough the intensity of the pulling and releasing actions exerted onstring length 13.

In case the invention is used as a toy, since very high speeds can bereached, it will be advisable to cover the body with a soft material,such as a sponge material.

Finally, in the illustrated embodiment, mouth 14 of sleeve or pipe 10 ispreferably flared as a trumpet, as shown in FIG. 2 only, in order toavoid a fast wear and consequent rupture of string length 12.

I claim:
 1. A method of operating a rotating toy comprising the stepsof:(a) providing a hollow member having a first end and a second end forholding in a substantially horizontal position; (b) providing aconstraint threaded through said hollow member, a first portion of saidconstraint extending from the first end of said hollow member having abody attached to an end of the first portion of said constraint, asecond portion of said constraint threaded through said hollow member,and a third portion of said constraint having a free end extending fromthe second end of said hollow member; (c) holding said hollow member ina substantially horizontal position; (d) swinging the body attached tothe end of the first portion of said constraint in a pendular motion;and (e) pulling and releasing the third portion of said constraintadjacent the free end to vary the length of the first portion of saidconstraint causing said body to rotate about the first end of saidhollow member.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprisesproviding a hollow member having a flared first end and a second end forholding in a substantially horizontal position.
 3. The method of claim 1wherein in step (e) the first portion of said constraint is adapted tobe rhythmically shortened and lengthened causing said body to rotateabout the first end of said hollow member.
 4. The method of claim 1wherein step (e) comprises pulling the third portion of said constraintadjacent the free end when said body is moving below a horizontal planeof said hollow member and releasing the third portion of said constraintadjacent the free end when said body is moving above the horizontalplane.
 5. A method of rotating a soft body about a stationary centercomprising the steps of:(a) providing a tube having a first end and asecond end; (b) providing a soft body; (c) providing a length of stringthreaded through said tube, a first portion of said string extendingfrom the first end of said tube having said soft body attached thereto,and a second portion of said string having a free end extending from thesecond end of said tube; (d) grasping said tube with a hand such thatthe first portion of said string hangs from the first end of said tube;(e) swinging said soft body in a pendular motion; and (f) pulling thesecond portion of said string adjacent the free end with another handwhen said soft body is moving below a horizontal plane of said tube andreleasing the second portion of said string adjacent the free end whensaid soft body is moving above the horizontal plane.